Our Team

John D. Coates is a Professor of Microbiology at University of California, Berkeley, and the Director of the Energy & Biosciences Institute. He is also the Chair of the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology and holds a joint appointment as a Senior Scientist in the Environmental Genomics and System Biology Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Prof. Coates is co-founder of three startup companies: BioInsite LLC, a small consultancy company geared towards the use of microorganisms for solutions to environmental contaminant problems; Ogma Scientific Inc., a company applying high throughput technologies to the environmental industry; and Pow Genetic Solutions Inc., a company focused on the use of advanced technologies to reduce the need for antibiotic application, improve productivity, and decrease process costs for biotechnological industries. Dr. Coates’ research seeks to balance society’s need to provide sustainable ecological protection while maintaining stable economic growth and development. He achieves this through the application of a disparate range of technologies. His research interests include renewable clean energies and manufacturing processes, carbon sequestration, and remediation of diverse toxic compounds (metals, radionuclides, and organics).

Christopher Rao is a Professor of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and Donald and Dolores Morris Professional Scholar at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is currently the Deputy Director for the Energy & Biosciences Institute and serves on the executive committee for the U.S. Department of Energy-funded Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation. Prior to his independent career at Illinois in 2005, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley. He has received numerous awards, including the National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2007, the inaugural High Impact Paper Award from IFAC in 2010, the Outstanding Young Research Award from the Computing and Systems Technology Division of AIChE in 2012, and the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research from the College of Engineering at Illinois. Dr. Rao works in the general areas of process systems engineering and applied microbiology, with a specific focus on utilizing microorganisms for sustainable energy and chemical production.

Shelley Brozenick leads institute-wide administration and operations and has been part of the EBI team since 2009. She provides executive leadership and direction to ensure effective business, financial, and operational planning, as well as program, event, facilities, and HR management. She is also responsible for coordinating research activities, including the proposal and funding process. Shelley has over 20+ years with the University of California.

Yi Liu, MS in environmental science, oversees the daily operations of the EBI² incubator program and provides training and oversight to the lab space. Yi is an accomplished environmental scientist with years of experience in general lab and equipment management, as well as lab safety.